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A 1986 postcard from Barack Obama to half-brother Malik Abongo “Roy” Obama reveals the future president thought he was struggling as an inexperienced Chicago community organizer.

Barack wrote in March of 1986 to Roy — who lives in Kenya, but was residing in Washington, DC, at the time — “Work has been tough and my time has been tight . . . I’ve had a somewhat discouraging time . . . I’m responsible for organizing an about 250,000 person community . . . where unemployment is high and hope is low.”

But he adds, “My inexperience is showing, but I hope that by the end of this year I will have a fairly good perspective on . . . this type of work.”

The now-commander in chief was director of the Developing Communities Project from 1985 to 1988 before attending Harvard. He met Roy for the first time in 1985 in Kenya.